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Doug Bennett: More on Evangelicalism and Rachel Held Evans

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:01:33 +0000

Quakers should care about this because, among evangelical Friends, and in an unreflective way, something like Challies’s view is becoming more common. Rachel Held Evans shows how one can take the Bible seriously and yet not think it is God’s only and last word.

Micah Bales: Do You Believe?

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00:18 +0000

For many of us, this begs the question: What is the point of having shared beliefs at all? If the whole point of the gospel is right action, could it be that intellectual beliefs are superfluous at best – and, at worst, even harmful?

Jez Smith: Fall in number of Quakers in Britain

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:59:51 +0000

The double fall in members and attenders comes despite Quakers having had high profile media coverage over the past couple of years, predominantly for their stance on recognising same-sex marriage as equal to different-sex marriage and campaigning for a change in the law to make it possible for Quakers to marry same-sex couples. The figures will give impetus to the new ‘vibrancy in meetings’ initiative that Quakers in Britain are developing.

LizOpp: Social justice and getting off the Quaker porch

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:58:32 +0000

As Friends, we often tell ourselves--and one another--that we must wait to be led by the Spirit before acting. But what I'm continuing to awaken to is that the intention to wait for such a leading has a harmful impact on entire communities that are suffering at the hands of oppressive bureaucratic systems

Randy Oftedahl: What Divides Us and What Unites Us

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:57:24 +0000

If we Trust in God, isn’t it enough to know that we will be led on the path, however long and winding, that each of us is meant to be on? Isn’t Faith more than believing the “right” things, following the “correct” doctrine, infant baptism or full emersion, transubstantiation or consubstanitation, cessationism or continuing revelation, chilism versus realized eschatology...oh, where does it end?

Mark Russ: Does It Matter Whether I'm a Quaker?

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:25:07 +0000

One British Friend wonders how he fits into the present-day landscape of Quakerism in the UK.

Jane Orion Smith: Prophets, patterns and examples

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:37:19 +0000

There is no opt-out clause to the call to prophet-hood—other than to refuse to hear. Scripturally, all are chosen, and from there it is a matter of listening. God –from the Old German “Gotte” – means to call upon, to hear a call. A prophet is one who hears the divine call of justice and answers- warning us of the consequences of our actions and that our personal transformation is requisite for that other world to be revealed.

Friends Journal interviews musician Jon Watts: Internet ministries

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:13:50 +0000

Being a successful Quaker minister, however, is all about being faithful to God, which may not make you popular at all.

Howard Brod: Let's Get Real

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:46:16 +0000

For a world that seems to be crying out for unfettered spirituality, a world that questions authoritative leadership, a world that longs for spiritual transformation that is based on love; why aren’t liberal Quaker meeting houses overflowing with seekers?

Margery Post Abbott: Piano practice and prophetic ministry

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:37:58 +0000

Some of this music makes it all sound rote – and very distant from the open, freeing feeling I associate with the Holy. At the moment, I feel caught in that practicing, that almost mechanical skill learning dimension.... Quaker discipline has always had a strand of spending extended time in contemplation.

Judy Goldberger: Encountering God's transforming power

Thu, 09 May 2013 05:57:34 +0000

John Woolman was not content to stay at home and rely on news reports. He left all that was familiar and directed himself to a place of encounter.

Robert McGahey: Pursuing a Leading Without Taking a Position

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:13:36 +0000

We can still nurture our leading, and act upon it, without expressing it in a way that we demonize those who are not motivated by it. So what's left if we can't preach, demonstrate, and resist? The still small voice. And what about civil disobedience? The examples of both Gandhi and King show that one can love one's enemies, even as one challenges their habitual behavior and laws. Again, it's a matter of what's in your heart as you perform the disobedient act.

Doug Bennett: The Bible As Inspired Work

Mon, 06 May 2013 22:58:49 +0000

Quakers know a thing or two about divine inspiration. This is our gift to others: the steady affirmation that that there is an Inner Light that provides guidance if we will still ourselves and listen. We proclaim George Fox’s joyous epiphany that Christ has come to teach His people Himself – even if some of us have grown reluctant to speak of Christ. We believe that the possibility of such divine inspiration is within each and every human being, and so we treat every human being as sacred.